Join arenaflex and Be the Voice That Shapes Housing Services
Are you passionate about making a real difference in people's lives? Do you believe that customers should be at the heart of every decision? If so, arenaflex is looking for dedicated Customer Engagement Officers to join our dynamic team and help us transform how we listen to, involve, and serve our communities.
At arenaflex, we understand that truly exceptional housing services come from truly listening to the people we serve. We are committed to putting our customers at the center of everything we do, and we need passionate individuals who share this vision to help us achieve it. As a Customer Engagement Officer, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring that the voices of our customers are not just heard, but actively shape the future of our services and communities.
We are currently recruiting for two fixed-term contract positions. One role is scheduled to end on March 31st, 2025, while the other will run until April 2025 at the latest. These positions offer a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable experience in customer engagement within the housing sector while making a tangible impact on the lives of residents across our communities.
About arenaflex
arenaflex is a leading organization in the housing sector, dedicated to providing high-quality homes and services to communities across the region. We pride ourselves on our commitment to customer satisfaction, community development, and continuous improvement. Our mission is to create sustainable, thriving communities where residents feel valued, heard, and empowered to contribute to the decisions that affect their homes and neighborhoods.
As part of our ongoing commitment to customer-centric service delivery, we have invested significantly in building robust engagement frameworks that ensure our customers have meaningful opportunities to influence policy, service design, and community initiatives. The Customer Engagement Officer role is central to this mission, providing the vital link between our organization and the communities we serve.
What You Can Expect From This Role
The Customer Engagement Officer position at arenaflex offers a unique opportunity to drive meaningful change within our organization and communities. You will be responsible for enhancing, promoting, and managing the involvement of customers in making decisions about their homes and communities. This role goes beyond traditional customer service – it is about co-designing the services we offer and ensuring that customers are true partners in shaping their living environments.
Key Responsibilities
- Customer Engagement Strategy: Develop and implement comprehensive engagement strategies that reach diverse customer groups, ensuring inclusive representation across all our communities.
- Relationship Building: Cultivate strong relationships with key service areas and departments throughout the organization to embed a customer-centric approach in all operations.
- Community Outreach: Use a diverse range of communication tools and channels to engage effectively with wider communities and external partners, including local organizations, advocacy groups, and stakeholder networks.
- Facilitation: Lead and facilitate customer engagement initiatives, including meetings, focus groups, community events, and workshops designed to gather customer feedback and ideas.
- Data Management: Maintain a consistent and robust approach to logging customer engagement activities across the organization, ensuring we can evidence the impact and value of our engagement efforts.
- Customer Panel Support: Work collaboratively with Customer Panels to carry out comprehensive reviews of the effectiveness and impact of customer engagement initiatives, presenting findings and making actionable recommendations for future development.
- Stakeholder Communication: Design and produce effective communication materials tailored to various customer audiences, ensuring clarity, accessibility, and engagement.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Support colleagues across departments to effectively engage with customers, providing guidance, training, and best practice frameworks.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all engagement activities comply with relevant legal and regulatory frameworks governing housing associations and customer involvement.
Work Environment and Flexibility
This is primarily a home-based role, offering you the flexibility to work in a way that suits your lifestyle while maintaining productive engagement with our teams and customers. However, we believe in the power of collaboration, so you can expect to travel to our offices for collaborative team working days approximately once or twice a month. These sessions typically take place at our Birmingham Business Park office, though occasional travel to our Worcester office or to attend community events may also be required.
We are committed to providing our team members with the tools and technology they need to work effectively from home, including appropriate equipment, software, and ongoing support from our IT team.
What We Are Looking For
We're seeking candidates who bring passion, experience, and commitment to customer engagement. The ideal candidate will thrive in a role that combines strategic thinking with hands-on community work.
Essential Qualifications and Experience
- Previous Experience: Demonstrable experience working in a Customer or Community Engagement role, with a track record of successfully involving customers in decision-making processes.
<- Facilitation Skills: Substantial experience of facilitating customer engagement initiatives, including leading meetings, focus groups, and community events of varying sizes.
- Housing Sector Knowledge: Knowledge of the legal and regulatory framework relevant to Housing, including tenant involvement requirements and best practice guidelines.
- Communication Materials: Experience of designing effective communication materials for customers, with the ability to adapt messaging for different audiences and accessibility needs.
- Stakeholder Management: An ability to communicate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders at all levels, building trust and maintaining productive relationships.
- Driving License: Due to the nature of the role, the successful applicant must hold a full, valid driving license and have access to a vehicle for occasional travel to various arenaflex sites and community locations.
- Background Check: The successful applicant will be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before commencing employment.
Preferred Skills and Attributes
- Experience working within the housing association sector or similar public-facing service organizations
- Understanding of community development principles and practices
- Knowledge of customer feedback mechanisms and engagement platforms
- Experience with data analysis and reporting on engagement metrics
- Strong presentation and public speaking skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a distributed team
- Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Commitment to diversity and inclusion in community engagement
Skills and Competencies Required for Success
To excel in this role at arenaflex, you will need a combination of interpersonal, organizational, and strategic skills:
- Empathy and Active Listening: The ability to genuinely listen to customer concerns, understand their perspectives, and reflect this understanding in service improvements.
- Communication Excellence: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt your style to suit different audiences, including vulnerable customers and diverse community groups.
- Strategic Thinking: Capability to see the bigger picture while managing day-to-day engagement activities, identifying trends and opportunities for improvement.
- Resilience and Adaptability: The flexibility to work with varied customer groups and handle sensitive situations with professionalism and compassion.
- Project Management: Strong organizational skills to plan, execute, and evaluate engagement initiatives within specified timeframes.
- Technology Proficiency: Comfortable using various digital tools for communication, data management, and virtual engagement.
- Collaborative Approach: Ability to work effectively with colleagues across departments, building consensus and driving customer-centric culture change.
Career Growth Opportunities and Learning Benefits
At arenaflex, we are deeply committed to the professional development of our team members. This role offers an excellent foundation for career progression within the housing sector or related fields. As a Customer Engagement Officer, you will gain:
- Comprehensive Training: Access to our extensive learning and development programs, including formal training courses, workshops, and e-learning modules.
- Sector Expertise: In-depth knowledge of the housing sector's regulatory environment, customer engagement best practices, and community development approaches.
- Professional Network: Opportunities to build relationships with professionals across the organization and external partners, expanding your professional network significantly.
- Career Pathways: Potential progression into senior engagement roles, team leadership positions, or specialized areas such as customer experience management or policy development.
- Recognized Qualifications: Support for pursuing relevant professional qualifications that enhance your expertise and career prospects.
Work Environment and Company Culture
arenaflex is more than just an organization – we are a community of dedicated professionals committed to making a positive difference. Our culture is built on values of respect, integrity, and customer focus. We believe that happy, supported employees deliver better outcomes for our customers, and we invest significantly in creating a positive workplace environment.
Our hybrid working model provides the best of both worlds – the flexibility to work from home combined with regular opportunities for collaborative in-person working. We foster an inclusive culture where diverse perspectives are valued, and every team member has the opportunity to contribute to our mission.
You will join a supportive team that is passionate about customer engagement and committed to continuous improvement. Regular team meetings, peer support, and manager guidance ensure you have the resources you need to succeed in your role.
Compensation, Perks, and Benefits
We recognize that our people are our greatest asset, and we are committed to offering competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits. As a Customer Engagement Officer at arenaflex, you will enjoy:
- Generous Annual Leave: Up to 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) with the opportunity to buy and sell leave to suit your needs.
- Family-Friendly Policies: Generous Paternity, Maternity, Shared Parental, and Adoption leave plus 3 days paid Urgent Domestic Leave to support you through important life events.
- Health and Wellbeing: Medicash membership for all employees, including access to an employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, and exclusive discounts.
- Health Cash Plan: Worth up to £1,700 per annum with cashback for dental, optical, physiotherapy, and complementary therapies, plus many more benefits.
- Pension Scheme: Excellent pension contribution scheme with employer contributions of up to 12% (inclusive of life assurance and dependent on employee contributions).
- Learning and Development: Extensive opportunities for professional growth and skill development.
- Green Travel Options: Salary sacrifice electric vehicle scheme and cycle to work scheme to support sustainable commuting.
- Employee Rewards: Recognition scheme with wellbeing hub and discount benefits from a wide range of retailers.
How to Apply
If you are ready to take the next step in your career and make a real difference in your community, we would love to hear from you. This is a fantastic opportunity to join arenaflex and contribute to our mission of putting customers at the heart of everything we do.
Please note that we will be reviewing applications throughout the campaign and would therefore encourage early applications, as this position may close earlier than the published closing date. We are looking for candidates who are passionate about customer engagement and committed to driving positive change in housing services.
For more information about this exciting opportunity, please contact our recruitment team. We look forward to receiving your application and potentially welcoming you to the arenaflex team!
Apply today and become the voice that shapes housing services at arenaflex!